


Fearful Symmetry

by silkendreammaid



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), NCIS
Genre: Character Bashing, M/M, Sentinel/Guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 04:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14729718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkendreammaid/pseuds/silkendreammaid
Summary: Tony DiNozzo, a latent guide, is on the edge of a breakdown. Taking advantage of his latest injury his doctor and the Centre send him to Hawaii to recover.Written for the NCIS Reverse Bang 2018 for artwork by Sperrywink





	Fearful Symmetry

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by the brilliant artwork of Sperrywink which I chose in the 2018 NCIS Reverse Bang
> 
> Author’s Notes: Thank you to sperrywink for creating a pic that I just wanted to write for. I enjoyed writing this and I hope to have done your great artwork justice.

**Title: Fearful Symmetry**

**Author:** silkendreammaid

 **Artist:** sperrywink

 **Fandoms:** NCIS, Hawaii 5-0

 **Pairing:** Tony DiNozzo/Steve McGarrett

 **Rating:** PG

 **Word Count:** 11,900

 **Warnings:** Light character bashing

 **Link to Artwork:** [sperrywink](https://sperrywink.dreamwidth.org/file/38837.png)

**Summary:** Tony DiNozzo, a latent guide, is on the edge of a breakdown. Taking advantage of his latest injury his doctor and the Centre send him to Hawaii to recover.

 

* * *

 

 

img 

 

 

“What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”

_“Tyger,Tyger” by William Blake_

~*~

 

His guide mark had developed stripes.

His mark had always been a curled up cat – a sleeping cat to signify his latent Guide status. It usually gave the appearance of being nothing more than a feline shaped dirty thumbprint on his left inner arm. But now the shadows within had shifted, moving into deeper lines, creating stripes out of the smudges.

Tony was still for a long moment before lightly brushing a finger across over his changed mark. It felt indistinguishable from the rest of his skin just as it always had been. The marks on latent guides changed for only one reason. Stress - and it had been a very stressful year for Tony DiNozzo.

He slumped lower on his couch and let his breath out slowly. He wasn’t sure when he’d first felt the need to draw on his guide potential to cope with the rising tensions at work. It could have been anytime within the last eighteen months.

Perhaps it had started when Pacci had been murdered. Discovering he had kissed Chris’ murderer had certainly been horrifying. The merciless teasing from Abby and Kate when they’d mistaken his revulsion for homophobia had been trying and hurtful. He was a _Guide_ for God’s sake, homophobia was impossible for him. Tony had had to work hard to not let their pointed barbs affect him.

Straight after that had come Sergeant Atlas and his brief but very unpleasant sojourn in the sewers. And then Gibbs had become completely obsessed for Ari Haswari.

Gibbs’ intense preoccupation had made working near him a strain on Tony’s empathy, and drawing on his guide potential had helped him strengthen the rudimentary shields of his latent status. It had been a constant pressing weight that had increased over the months as the lack of any progress had raised Gibbs’ frustration and he’d starting dealing out harder and harder head-slaps.

Having to kill Jeffrey White, having the plague, it had all culminated with Kate’s murder, and Tony didn’t know how he had avoided either coming online or having a breakdown under all the pressure.

It was even worse now with a new Director, a new team member – and both of them reeking of secrets. Along with the pain and hurt that Gibbs and Abby couldn’t contain, the office felt so toxic to his shields it was becoming increasingly difficult to even enter the building. Something had to give and he was afraid that it was already too late and he was already broken beyond repair.

His mark had developed stripes. He had a tiger sleeping on his arm.

There was only one way to fix this. And Tony had no idea how he was going to do it.

 

* * *

 

 

Two days later Tony found himself at Bethesda Hospital having his left arm sewn up.

“Not looking too bad, Tony,” Doctor Brad Pitt said as he tugged on the last stitch.

“It’d probably be better without your additional mauling,” Tony snarked lightly, as he watched his skin moving and feeling no pain from the local anaesthetic.

“I need to make sure these stitches will stay put,” Brad retorted. “You’ll be back here within two days otherwise complaining of my needlework.”

“Of course I would. Just because you’re used to lower standards, Wolverine, doesn’t mean I have to suffer them too.” Tony grinned.

“Ha ha.” Brad rolled his eyes at Tony as he placed a dressing over the stitches and began to bandage it in place. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you almost volunteered yourself up for a breathing treatment instead of arguing with the nurse. Did you think I hadn’t seen it?” Brad asked with a more serious note as he motioned to Tony’s mark. “I would probably have expected to see a small change after the plague last year, but it should have reverted back by now.”

Tony slumped on the examination room’s bed and let his breath out slowly. “Yeah, it’s just been a long year. You know, with … Kate, and all.”

Brad was silent for a long moment as he eyed his friend and took note of the visible tiredness as well as the Guide mark changes. With Tony shirtless it was easy to see the lack of muscle tone and loss of weight. Brad could count Tony’s ribs, but it was the changes to the guide mark that had Brad most worried.

“Guide marks change in two circumstances only. One, when a guide bonds with a sentinel; and two, when a latent high level guide suffers an unusually high amount of stress,” Brad dictated in a dry tone. “The fact that your mark has changed enough to be able to determine the species is an indication that you are either under an extreme amount of stress, or suffering prolonged exposure to a stressful environment.”

Tony ducked his head and Brad chuckled wryly.

“Or in your case, both.” Brad dragged a chair over and sat down in front of his friend. “When the stressful conditions are alleviated, or the latent guide completely removed from the situation, the mark will revert to its normal indistinct form.” He took a deep breath. “You need to get out of there, Tony. And you need to do so immediately.”

“I don’t… it’s not that simple,” Tony began.

“It is that simple,” Brad interrupted. “There are no other options here. You’re already risking your potential, and while I don’t subscribe to the belief that pulling on your potential will damage your future sentinel, I know that it will damage you.”

Green eyes looked up and met Brad’s. “It’ll take a couple of months to revert, I won’t be able to take that amount of time off.”

“It will take longer than that. I think you need a year to revert and to get yourself healthy again.” Brad frowned at him. “You’ve lost weight; you looked healthier when you had the plague. Seriously, you need six months at the minimum although a year would be better.”

“I’d have to quit my job!” Tony exclaimed. “I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Brad asked. “It’s obviously the main cause of your stress, so you need to get out of there. If you go to the Centre and organise it through them, NCIS would have to hold your position _and_ make changes to manage the stress levels for everyone, not just guides.”

“Not the Centre,” Tony stated adamantly.

Brad lifted an eyebrow in silent query. Tony sighed.

“Ned Forest-Woods believes stressed guides, whether they’re latent or online, should be treated like stressed sentinels.” Tony looked at Brad. “Isolation may be good for sentinels and even some guides, but for me, I’d get even more stressed and I’d never get out of there.”

Brad frowned. “Isolation? Seriously?”

“Oh yeah, seriously. One of the agents on another team had a couple of bad cases that cut a bit too close to home for him, and he got a bit stressed. He was away for nearly a month and when he got back he told me that if he hadn’t been isolated he’d have been back in two weeks. Mark said it took him a full week to get over the stress of isolation before he even got started on his work related stressing.”

“You can’t treat guides and sentinels the same. And you certainly can’t treat all guide stresses the same. What calms one guide might not work for another.”

“Exactly, and you know me. Being stuck in isolation would be a living hell. My idea of isolation is being the only one on a beach – not the only one in a sterile room,” Tony stated with a grin at Brad. “Been there and done that already.”

“You weren’t completely alone,” Brad murmured carefully.

“No,” Tony said sadly. “But it would have been worse without her.”

“I agree. You make a horrible patient at the best of times, and that was not the best of times,” Brad commented. “So if the centre is out, you still need to get away from here.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to quit…” Tony trailed off not wanting to add that he might have no choice but to quit.

“At this moment I can write you a certificate for two weeks medical leave for your arm,” Brad told him. “I could possibly stretch it another week – maybe two at the very most if you let me look at your lungs and we can say your exhausted state is having a detrimental effect.” He paused with a frown. “Can you apply for a transfer to anywhere?”

“Possibly.” Tony thought hard. “I don’t know of any positions at the moment, but even if there was, I can’t see Gibbs just letting me go. And there’s something really off with the new director. She’s watching the team very closely and I don’t think she’d be willing to sign off on a transfer.”

“Why is she watching you?”

“I don’t know for sure but I think there’s history between her and the Boss. She’s probably his Rule 12.”

Brad snorted. Tony had told him about that rule during his stay in the isolation chamber when Brad had questioned the relationship between him and Kate. He studied his friend, noting again the deep seated exhaustion and even though Tony was not an online guide and Brad had no sentinel or guide genes, he could almost feel the stress coming from his friend.

“If I can get the centre to not put you in isolation, would you go to them?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tony sighed. “They’re the only ones that can get me out of that building without me having to quit.”

“You know that they’re going to hit NCIS like a hammer, don’t you?” Brad queried. “To have caused a potentially high ranked guide to be as stressed as you are, they’ll tear that building apart to find out why.”

Yeah,” Tony groaned as he fell back to lie on the bed. “One thing you can say about the D.C. Alpha and his sentinel is that neither has a political bone in their body and couldn’t care less about making waves.” He looked at Brad. “You’re sure you can keep them off my back?”

“At least in the matter of isolation, yes.”

Tony narrowed his eyes and frowned at the doctor. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“The only way I can get you out of isolation is if you leave.”

“Leave where? NCIS?” Tony was confused. “Didn’t we just agree that the Centre was my option if I didn’t want to leave?”

“Not leave NCIS, but leave the state. Get as far as possible from here.”

Tony blinked. “Leave the state?” he repeated. “Where? To somewhere like Alaska?” he queried with light sarcasm.

“Close,” Brad replied with a wide grin.

 

* * *

 

 

Edward ‘Ned’ Forrest-Woods was a small man in an expensive suit and a strong aura that flooded Brad’s office at Bethesda the moment he entered. Doctor Pitt and Tony DiNozzo waited near a table and a couple of empty chairs.

The Alpha Guide of Washington D.C. stared at Tony for a long moment before he extended his shields around the stressed man. He was shocked as Tony forced the shields away and glared at him.

“Don’t do that, Ned,” Tony growled. The agent looked so tired and thin despite his designer suit. It was so easy to see his stress and Ned was surprised that Tony still had the strength to deny the Alpha guide’s shields.

“You’re very stressed, Tony, and need to be shielded at the moment,” Ned replied with a frown. “And don’t call me Ned.”

“Then don’t be an asshole,” Tony shot back. He settled back in his chair next to Brad and waited until Ned and his Sentinel had taken their seats at the table. “I know I’m stressed, we all know I’m stressed. But your way of dealing with it causes me more stress. There’s a reason I don’t visit the Centre.”

“That’s why we are here, Tony,” Nathan Forrest-Woods stated calmly, placing a hand on his Guide’s arm to calm him.  “And thank you Doctor Pitt for allowing us to use your office.”

“You’re welcome,” Brad said with a small smile. “I know it was the only way Tony was going to accept notifying you of his condition.”

“I am not happy about this,” Ned said firmly. “Notifying us should have been the first thing you did the moment you first became stressed.”

“Maybe I should have,” Tony allowed. “But I’m only a latent guide, and the Centre doesn’t differentiate between latent and online.”

“When it comes to matters of stress then yes, I make sure that there is no difference in treatment of the two states.” Ned leant back in his chair. “Stress in guides, regardless of their status, can have severe effects and has been fatal in some cases. Not just to the guide but to their sentinel as well.”

“I don’t have a sentinel, and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon!” Tony exclaimed. “And how I deal with stress is _my_ business. I know how to deal with my stress; and honestly, sticking me in isolation would be a _death_ sentence!”

“I doubt that it’s that extreme, Tony,” Ned began.

“Actually it would be,” Brad interrupted. “And I would certainly advise against it on medical grounds. For Tony, isolation would be highly detrimental both physically and mentally. I’d even go so far as to call it inhumane treatment.”

“Then what do you suggest, Doctor?” Nathan asked as he calmed his guide down again. “I get the impression that you have called us here for a specific purpose.”

“Yes,” Brad nodded. “Tony needs to be removed from NCIS – not into isolation at the Centre, and not to a quiet place out of the city, but preferably to the other side of the country.”

“Not Alaska,” Tony groaned.

“I could justify you being sent there for the benefit of your lungs,” Brad smirked. “Going to cold climates or mountains has been a long standing practice, but I was thinking of a warmer place for you.”

“Southern California? Or out in the desert?” Tony sighed. “As long as it’s not Wolverine country,” he added with a sideways glance to his friend.

“I said the other side of the country, you geographically challenged Buckeye,” Brad sniped back. “How would Magnum country suit you?”

Tony sat up with wide eyes and a grin breaking out. “Hawaii?” he stared at Brad. “Seriously? Hawaii?!”

“Yes, Hawaii.” Brad grinned back.

“Hawaii?” Ned frowned.

“Yes. Tony needs to be completely away from anything stressful. He needs somewhere completely disconnected from his current living and working conditions. Medically the warm air and water would be beneficial, not just for his lungs but also for the bullet wound in his arm and to help improve his general health. Tony is very rundown and close to complete exhaustion.”

“This sounds like isolation,” Ned muttered.

“In some aspects yes,” Brad agreed. “I have a colleague who helps run a small clinic that sits right on the edge of a national park and the beach in O’ahu.”

“O’ahu? Honolulu?” Tony queried. “How far from Pearl? NCIS has a base there.”

“It’s at the other end of the island, I’m not sure but it’s probably about 20 to 30 miles away.” Brad looked at Tony. “But you wouldn’t be travelling into the city. You’d be staying at the clinic in a small bungalow specifically designed for patients suffering from stress and PTSD. They don’t take more than twenty patients at a time and there’s no limit on how long you can stay there.”

“It sounds perfect,” Nathan said thoughtfully. “Why do you need us?”

“Because you can make it official. I can’t give Tony more than two weeks official medical time off, and he needs six months at least. If I can go to NCIS and tell them Tony has been isolated for an indefinite period, then it gives him the time he needs to recover completely.”

“And what about NCIS? How will they react?” Nathan asked.

“It won’t be pretty,” Tony told him with a sigh. “Gibbs will go ballistic and demand I return. He doesn’t like his team being changed. I don’t think McGee or Ziva are going to care – I think Ziva might be quite pleased. She’s trying to fit in to the team, but she’s doing it by tearing the rest of us apart. And Madam Director is too interested in the team. She’s only been recently appointed but she’s focusing on us, rather than being the typical new broom and sweeping the whole agency.” He leant back in his chair. “Abby or McGee might try to hack the centre to find me. Abby’s another one that hates change.”

Brad looked at Tony. “I think the problem was you had all of these incidents happening one after the other with no time in between to recover, and that’s their fault. They should have procedures in place for guides of any status and how to handle stress, and they should enforce them.”

“Are there any programs for Guides in NCIS?” Ned was curious.

“Not really,” Tony admitted with a wince as Ned straightened in his chair. “Well, not at the Yard anyway. There’s a generic form for bonding leave and one for medical. Stress is classed as medical.”

Ned’s eyes narrowed and he shared a look with his Sentinel. “Okay, this is what we will do.” He looked at Tony. “You are now officially in isolation. Doctor Pitt will accompany Nathan and I when we go to NCIS tomorrow to inform them. You will stay at the Centre for two nights to enable official paperwork to be drawn up. We will help you organise your packing and whatever you need to do for your apartment, and then you and Doctor Pitt can fly to Hawaii.”

Tony met Ned’s eyes with a narrow glare. “And NCIS?”

“We will ensure that when you are ready to return, they will have a comprehensive and fully operational method for dealing with Guides and Sentinels, regardless of status.” Nathan drew Tony’s gaze. “You will have no contact with them, and if we need to contact you we will do so through Doctor Pitt. All you need to do is lie on a beach and de-stress.”

Tony took a deep breath as he thought it over. “Alright, but you have to tell me if anything … happens to my team.”

“I’ll do that,” Brad promised. “But only if it’s anything bad.”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

Steve McGarrett threw himself into the ocean, arms already moving as he swam away from his beach. He powered through the surf to the warmer calmer water beyond, his body settling into well-known rhythms as his mind fought for balance.

It had been a long day – a long couple of months if he was honest – and it wasn’t getting any easier. The office was becoming a nightmare place and he was beginning to hate it. His team was fracturing and he felt powerless to stop it. There had to be a solution somewhere, and swimming away from his problems was not going to help, but today he needed the distance.

For an hour he swam along the coast before turning back. His mind was calmer and his muscles beginning to ache in all the right ways.

He was not surprised to find Danny Williams sitting in one of his chairs as he trudged out of the water.

“At least you managed not to drown yourself,” Danny remarked lightly from his comfortable position as he watched his partner approach. Two beers stood on the small table Danny had dragged from the lanai and placed beside the chairs. A towel lay over one of them.

“Looking pretty comfy there, Danno. You liking the beach now?” Steve replied as he picked up the beer.

“Not in this lifetime!” Danny pointed at the other chair with his beer. “The only reason I’m this close to all that poisonous salt water is for my monkey, and while she’s not here right at this very moment, her Uncle Steve is, and she likes you, which means I have to make sure you stay healthy, alive, and in one piece otherwise she will be disappointed in me and you. So sit your army ass down and tell me how we are going to get rid of your Governor approved stalker.”

Steve groaned as he flopped into the chair. “It’s bad enough having her as our babysitter.” He glared lightly at Danny. “And it’s the Navy,” he added and got a smirk added to the expectant look on his friend’s place.

Danny took a long drink. “While I would normally appreciate having someone to help curb your reckless and impulsive ass, Ms Weston is decidedly not it.” Danny looked at Steve. “She’s after your ass in all the wrong ways.”

“I know,” Steve sighed. “And she ignores everything I do to avoid her.”

“Well you need to stop that and tell her straight to her malicious little face, because she’s going to destroy the team if you don’t,” Danny stated. He fixed his eyes on Steve. “She all but told me that I was not your Guide.”

“You’re not my guide,” Steve pointed out.

“I know that and you know that and hell, I thought everyone knew that. But Lori either doesn’t, or she’s blinded herself to the truth. She’s mid-level at best so it’s possible,” Danny mused. “She’s not exactly the smartest person.”

“She’s got a seagull for a spirit animal.” Steve shuddered. “It’s just … no.”

“It’s probably got more smarts than she has,” Danny said easily. “She thinks because it’s a water related creature, it’s a sign of compatibility.” He rolled his eyes. “Even I know that your animal guide would eat her and her weak-ass bird for breakfast.”

Steve raised his eyebrow at his friend. “’Weak-ass bird’?”

Danny threw his hand out. “It’s a seagull, for fuck’s sake! Hardly the most noble of feathered creatures. It’s a scavenging pest and one of the many, many downsides to going to the beach. Hell, half the gulls here hang out at the tip anyway. Going from seafront living to dumpster diving for survival. It’s almost like a flying feathered rat.”

“Another one marked the car again, Danno?” Steve asked with a smirk.

“Stupid birds don’t stay at the shore anymore,” Danny grumbled.

“Maybe you should move away from that dump of yours,” Steve replied, and grinned at Danny’s single finger reply.

“Seriously though, something has to be done.” Danny paused for a long swallow of his beer. “And she’s starting to pull Jenna into the mix.”

Jenna Kaye had been added to their office a month ago. She was on loan from the CIA to help analyse the information that had been discovered in the office of the recently deceased previous Governor. Steve had protested her arrival, having wanted Catherine and Naval Intelligence instead. He had been over-ruled by the new Governor who seemed intent on leashing the task force as much as he could. Thus the appointment of Lori Weston. She had been added to the team as a profiler but they all knew Governor Denning had put her there to babysit the team.

“Jenna isn’t a threat to her,” Steve said with a puzzled frown.

“Yeah, but no. Lori gets up at every female that comes close to you,” Danny pointed out. “She barely tolerates Kono, and only because Kono would kick her in the head if she was anything but nicely polite.”

Steve’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t think she’d gone further than just stalking me around the office,” he groaned.

“Oh no, my ignorant friend. She told Jenna that you had an understanding and that you were only waiting for approval from the Council to bond, and that Jenna should avoid touching Lori and you so that she wasn’t seen as a threat to the bond.” Danny leant forward and his expression was completely serious. “She’s an online mid-level guide who thinks she’s compatible with a high ranked sentinel. It doesn’t hurt that you will probably be the Alpha for the area when you do bond, and that despite your extremely casual dress and lifestyle, you are well off and well situated in society, as well as aesthetically pleasing.” Danny sighed. “She’s shallow and greedy. Chin says she feels _off_ to him.”

“Aesthetically pleasing?” Steve parroted the words with his eyebrows raised, and Danny grimaced in response.

“That’s what Kono said,” he muttered, and Steve laughed before settling back in his chair.

“I try not to let my barriers loose near her when we’re not actively working,” Steve admitted after a small pause. “I didn’t want her to take advantage of it.”

Danny nodded. Sentinels tended to keep a tight rein on their senses, but Steve was a SEAL and had been taught to keep his senses at a low threat level all the time. He was continually monitoring in an automatic controlled manner that registered and tagged everything around him and alerted him to any inconsistencies. He had been trained to react to the slightest change as a threat, and it was still deeply ingrained in him.

Unbonded guides were able make their empathy feel attractive to unbonded sentinels if the sentinel was relaxed and open and felt they could trust the guide. While not classed as coercion, it was still seen as unfair and undue pressure, and not condoned by the majority of guides and sentinels. Guides found guilty of the practise often claimed that sentinels were just as much at fault for projecting enough hurt and need to make a guide feel sympathetic and obligated to help.

“You need to get away from here, and let down your sentinel hair,” Danny told him as he leant back in his chair. “You’ve been on a war footing for the last six months. You need to go chill somewhere.”

Steve blinked at him. “I need ‘ _to go chill somewhere’_?” he repeated in an amused tone. “Next you’ll be telling me I’m stressed. Really Danno,” Steve smirked. “You a proper guide now?”

Danny waved his hands and glared at his friend. “You know exactly what I mean you Neanderthal! And we can leave my guide status out of this.” He huffed. “We’re not on this weekend; go up to that retreat that Malia consults at and spend the time jungle running and surviving on raw fish and grass like a proper throwback. Then on Monday we’ll all work to get rid of the evil guide witch.”

“You’re a good friend, Danno,” Steve said with gentle affection. “Even if you aren’t a real guide.”

Danny threw his empty bottle at Steve’s head knowing the SEAL would catch it. “Take one of those burner phones you have so you can call me when you run into trouble.”

Steve threw the bottle back. “I’m not going to get into trouble,” he protested with a grin. “You’re not going to be with me.”

* * *

 

Tony DiNozzo looked at his guide mark. It was losing a stripe and it appeared to be fading, but that could just be his new tan. He sighed happily as he cast his eyes over the small pristine section of the beach the Centre said was his. The hammock he was laying in was shaded and unbelievably comfortable. He closed his eyes and drifted over memories of the last two months.

The two days at the Centre had been hectic but he had avoided all contact with NCIS and he and Brad had left for Hawaii without anyone the wiser. NCIS had been too taken up with defending itself from the Centre. Ned Forrest-Woods had stormed in, full of righteous ire, and full of his position as the DC Alpha Guide, taken Shepard to task, and demanded the agency completely overhaul its guide and sentinel policies. According to his last phone call with Brad, NCIS was still completely over-run by the Centre. He had said nothing about Gibbs or the team, and Tony hadn’t asked.

He’d spent his first week here doing little else but lying in either the hammock or his bed. It had taken a couple of days to stop wanting to check his phone. Which Brad had taken from him and had been left back in the Centre in Washington. Brad had bought him a cheap phone and sim card in Honolulu and then locked it up in the retreat’s office. Brad had stayed for the first week and then left after ensuring Tony would have everything he needed to de-stress properly. They’d agreed on weekly check-ins via the phone that was still being kept in the office.

Dr Malia Kelly was one of two directors for the retreat, and was every bit as strict about his health as Brad was and Tony had been hard-pressed to fight against both of them. He had won on not being monitored all the time but had to agree to eat whatever the dietician approved. It had been hard at first but after two weeks he was able to clear the plates of the small portions he was given.

Once he began to eat properly they started to push him into light exercise. Walking and swimming along his stretch of beach twice a day. It was barely a hundred yards, but Tony hadn’t been able to finish one lap the first day he tried. The prolonged extreme stress had ramped his adrenaline levels to abnormal levels, and two weeks with no stress, good food, and complete relaxation had caused his body to suffer adrenal fatigue. The exhaustion and lethargy had taken another two weeks to overcome.

Two months in and he could now start to see small changes in his guide mark. Tony felt quite at peace with the world for the first time in years. Now if he could only persuade Malia to let him have a television and DVD player in his cabin, it would be perfect.

A splashing had him opening his eyes and turning his head to the water. There was a small pod of dolphins that sometimes played nearby, but not today. Tony blinked as he focused on a man emerging from the waves. Board shorts hung low on slender hips, water ran over sculpted abs, and fish dangled from his left hand. His dark hair was cut short and Tony ran appreciative eyes over wide shoulders and coloured tattoos.

The man stretched as he left the water and began to make his way along the beach.

“No shells?” he asked as the man came level with his hammock.

The man spun quickly, hazel eyes sharp and assessing as he rapidly spotted Tony and the hammock. “What are you talking about?”

“Woah, Honey” Tony said calmly and held up empty hands. “And you’re supposed to say ‘who’s that?’ first. That’s how the scene was played. Of course you’re not in a bikini and they aren’t shells you’re carrying, and while I am no Sean Connery, I can honestly say that I am just looking.”

The stranger’s head tilted and Tony was held by the sharpness of his gaze. It was encompassing and Tony held his breath. The man was a sentinel, and military as well. Tony had felt similar scans from naval sentinels before. None had felt as comprehensive or as quick.

 “Bond had no hammock and he wasn’t supposed to be there, if I recall,” the sentinel remarked even as his senses recognised a latent guide. He wondered briefly why he hadn’t been aware of the guide the moment he left the water and he felt his senses keeping a light touch on the guide. He was unable to stop the protective urge and decided it was the recognition of ill-health that kept his sentinel side alerted.

“Oh well, he wasn’t but I am,” Tony grinned and then looked up through his lashes. “Although neither was Honey.”

Steve laughed. “I’m not Honey, and I have every right to be here.” He held up the fish. “I think you’ll be glad I am if you wanted dinner tonight.”

Tony groaned. “I’m going to grow scales from all the fish they make me eat. Why couldn’t you have caught a cow? I miss steak.”

Steve nodded to himself, confirming his suspicion that the blond was a patient at Malia’s clinic. “Not too many cows swim around here,” Steve told him with a smirk.

“Well you’re no good then, Honey.”

“The name’s Steve, not Honey,” Steve informed him.

“Hi Steve, I’m Tony,” Tony smiled as he shifted up in the hammock. “I haven’t seen you here before. Malia rarely lets me meet people,” Tony added as he rolled over and up on to his feet. He shook himself slightly to straighten his shorts and t-shirt.

Tony was about his height was the first thing Steve noticed before seeing how thin the man’s arms were. There was a fragile air to the man despite the tan and sun-bleached hair. Steve was more aware of the hurt and pain along with the scents of skin and sun and salt now the guide was moving. There was a dark vanilla musk undertone that his senses assigned to _Guide_ and his sentinel reached out to survey the area.

Tony watched as Steve froze slightly before moving again. Hazel eyes kept sweeping over him and the hut behind him in a searching pattern that had Tony holding still. He recognised the signs of a sentinel cataloguing an area. Online sentinels did it all the time, especially military ones. Tony had seen it too often so he was at ease as he waited.

“You are online, aren’t you?” he asked to be certain. “Are you reacting to me or is there something else here?”

“Yes, I’m online, and I’m not sure,” Steve frowned in reply. “There is nothing overt, but … you’re not healthy,” he added as if that answered Tony’s question.

And it did. Tony blinked in mild affront. “You’re not tactful.”

“No, Danny complains about it all the time,” Steve responded with a shrug.

Tony started walking slowly, moving along the beach towards the main buildings. Danny was obviously not the sentinel’s guide as Tony could hear none of the vocal notes sentinels always had when speaking of their guides. Tony noted the way Steve was following him, moving up to walk beside him.

“Danny knows you well,” Tony remarked. “Although it was pretty obvious from the moment you began to speak, so maybe he hasn’t known you long after all.”

“Danny’s my partner. He’s the tactful one, even when I tell him it’s not necessary.” Steve paused. “He tells me all the time how undiplomatic I am.”

“He sounds like a wise man.” Tony kept walking steadily. Steve didn’t seem to be in any distress, but Tony didn’t want to take any chances. Malia had kept him isolated from most of the staff and all of the other patients, and while Tony missed interacting with other people he had appreciated the distance during his initial weeks. He had started to get a bit more willing to meet people again and Malia had begun with several staff members. Steve was a complete stranger, and Tony didn’t think he was a fellow patient. Malia had told him that only guides had been admitted lately.

“Oh he is.” Steve smiled. Danny’s idea to get away from Honolulu had been a very good one. Malia had given him the furthest hut and a fishing line and told him she didn’t want to see him except at meal times. Twenty four hours later and he felt like a different person. He hadn’t realised how tense he had been. And now he had stumbled across a very attractive guide who apparently was sick and had a thing for James Bond.

“I don’t really like spy movies,” Steve finished his thought out loud. “Too much like real life.”

Tony frowned lightly. “You don’t like spy movies in particular, or movies in general?” he asked as he studied the man beside him. “You’re with the military. Naval intelligence? No, more active, a SEAL?”

“SEAL, but in the reserves now. How did you guess that?” Steve queried.

“It wasn’t a guess, and you didn’t answer my question,” Tony replied. “You have the haircut for military and this is Oahu so Navy it is. Your comment that spy movies are too close to real life is the tip for Intelligence services, but your obvious level of fitness and because you are a sentinel that means active service, not analysing info.” Tony smiled slightly at Steve’s surprised expression. “Hey, I was a cop, and I’m on leave from NCIS.”

“Navy cop,” Steve muttered and Tony laughed. There had been a flatness to Tony’s last words that Steve wondered about even as he realised he liked the sound of Tony’s laugh.

“Yep.” Tony shrugged easily. “So, spy movies, or movies in general?” Tony asked again.

“I like movies,” Steve said with a shrug.

“But you don’t really care for them?” Tony added questioning.

“I’m not going to drop everything to watch one, if that’s what you mean. They’re good to pass an hour or so. Although Danny’s daughter keeps bringing Disney movies over, so I guess I watch them too,” Steve said and Tony saw the line of red across the high tanned cheekbones.

“Disney movies are fun,” Tony agreed ignoring the sense of embarrassment he was getting. “I always like to see them in theatres. Disney manages to have both kids and adults laugh at the same things, but there are times when you’ll see the adults react while the kids miss the connection because they’re too young.”

“You like movies?” Steve asked.

“I love movies,” Tony enthused. “I mean there are movies I don’t think much of, but I’ll watch just about anything. I sometimes think I’ll take up film reviewing if I ever need a new job. Most colleges offer film courses.”

Steve laughed. “That’d be a bit of change from law enforcement.”

Tony shrugged. “But you’d get shot at less,” he pointed out.

“That’s not always a good thing,” Steve replied, thinking facing bullets was a lot easier to understand than some of the other ways of causing terror.

“It’s not?” Tony looked askance at him.

“Not when you know what else is out there,” Steve replied. “Knowing that, and having been a part of it, do you want to trust anyone but yourself to do it? And it’s never boring.”

“No, just terrifying.” Tony studied the man beside him. “You’ve been doing this a long time. It’s totally in your system now. You’re an adrenaline junkie aren’t you?”

Steve looked at everything but Tony. “I’ve been accused of that before,” he said slowly. “But in my defence I would like to point out that I get all the adrenaline I need doing my job and not by jumping out of planes in my spare time.”

“No, I agree with that. I’d never jump out of plane for fun. Falling out of one was enough for me.”

“You fell out of a plane?” Steve stopped walking and stared at Tony.

“It was an accident,” Tony replied. “There was a scuffle and I got knocked out the door. But I had a parachute on, so it was all good.”

“Had you jumped before?”

“Uh, no, and it was dark, which I sometimes think is why I didn’t panic as much as I would have if I’d been able to see the ground.”

“And Danny thinks I’m careless,” Steve muttered. “You know I think you need to meet my partner, maybe then he won’t pick on me.”

“Anything you can walk away from is a bonus,” Tony said philosophically.

“Oh yeah, you and Danny have to meet,” Steve nodded.

“Is he your guide as well as partner?” Tony asked carefully.

“Oh no, Danny’s not a guide like you. He’s my partner at 5-0,” Steve said.

“5-0? The governor’s task force?” Tony asked, wondering what kind of a guide Danny was.

“Yeah.”

“I’ve heard about you. Pearl NCIS was pissed at you a while back because you trod on their toes over something above my pay grade. Gibbs and Morrow were in and out of MTAC for a week trying to sort it out,” Tony snickered.

“Danny says most government agencies have heard about us.”

“I bet,” Tony laughed.

“Tony!”

Tony looked around as his name was called and was surprised to find himself so close to the main building. Malia was walking towards them.

Tony waved. “Aloha Malia.”

“Hi Tony.” Malia smiled at her patient and then turned to his companion. “Aloha Steven. Nice catch.”

“Aloha Malia,” Steve greeted her with a smile. “Yes, dinner supplied again.”

“More fish,” Tony groaned theatrically.

“It’s doing you good, Tony,” Malia scolded lightly. She looked between the two with a small frown. “Are you feeling okay, Tony?”

“Feeling great,” Tony replied, his head tilting to one side. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t be?” he asked picking up on the slight tension in her voice.

“You two haven’t touched have you?” she asked, her frown deepening as she looked from one to the other.

“No,” Steve replied. “I remembered you telling me not to touch anyone here.”

Malia nodded. “Yes, because you’re an online unbonded sentinel, and all the patients here are guides.”

“Malia? Is there a problem here?” Tony asked looking from one to the other.

“Yes, I think there is.” Malia indicated the building behind her. “Come to my office.”

“Let me just…” Steve trailed off as he held up the fish.

Malia nodded. “Ok, Steve. You know where my office is.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Steve said before he trotted off towards the kitchens.

“Is this a major problem?” Tony asked as he watched Steve.

“No?” Malia replied hesitantly. “Possibly,” she confirmed.

“Is it anything to do with the way he keeps his senses checking on me?” Tony asked as Steve paused at a door before entering. “And the way I keep checking on him?”

“Yes.”

 

* * *

 

 

Tony sat comfortably in the easy chair he’d made his own since he’d come here. Steve was seated in the other chair and Malia was pacing in front of her desk. Tony watched with increasing worry. Malia had always been so calm and steady; it was disconcerting to see her agitated.

“I don’t know how to approach this,” Malia said as she stopped and faced them. “Tony, I need your permission to discuss some of your medical matters, here, with Steve.”

Tony’s eyebrow rose and his mind raced. “Because he’s a sentinel and it’s caused a change with me – or with us?” Tony queried recalling her earlier manner.

“With you both,” Malia admitted.

Steve looked Tony and then at Malia. “I can promise to keep everything we say here confidential.”

“I’m going to need your permission to discuss your situation with Tony, Steve,” Malia added.

“I trust him,” Steve remarked without hesitation, and then paused. “That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s part of it,” Malia nodded.

Tony took a breath. “Trust is usually inherent between guides and sentinels regardless of their status,” he pointed out.

‘That’s true, but that instinctive, automatic trust is something that Steve has been trained to monitor and in certain instances, to ignore.”

“SEAL,” Tony muttered and Steve smirked.

“Most special forces sentinels are trained out of that instinct because it can be too dangerous when they’re on missions,” Malia agreed. “And Steve has been in a heightened state of awareness lately. He shouldn’t be able to trust as quickly and easily as he has with you, especially given your potential state, and other issues.”

Tony sighed. “Steve’s already told me that I’m unhealthy, so yes we can discuss my other issues.”

“Tony is here because he has been suffering from extreme stress,” Malia began.

“Wait, you said potential state,” Steve interrupted, turning to Tony. “I thought you were sick.”

“I am … not completely healthy, but I’ve been pulling on my potential so much the extra stress hadn’t helped with my recovery,” Tony said with a studied calm.

“Six months ago, Tony was given a fifteen percent chance to live, and despite being already in a stressed state, he survived. But the stress factors continued and increased until his condition became completely untenable. His doctor and the Centre in Washington agreed that it would take six months at least before Tony was completely stress free, which is why he is here,” Malia told Steve.

“Fifteen percent? What happened?” Steve stared at Tony, his senses trying to detect any traces of severe injury.

“White powder at the office turned out to be Y-pestis,” Tony said with a small shrug. “I have to be careful …”

“Plague?” Steve blinked as he realised why Y-pestis sounded familiar. “At least you had modern antibiotics…” Steve trailed off as he saw the rueful, almost embarrassed expression on Tony’s face.

“Yeah, well, maybe not. It was modified to be antibiotic resistant. But I got through it, and the pneumonia that followed, so it’s all a win. But it did add to the already crappy year I’d been having, so the stress got worse, and then my partner was killed.” Tony paused and tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. “Kate… Kate was standing next to me when she died. Killed by a rogue Mossad agent turned Hamas terrorist. Of course we didn’t find that out until a couple of weeks later when our new Director brings in a Mossad agent who is apparently the half-sister of our killer. Who then dies after a confrontation with my boss and said half-sister.” Tony let his breath out. “Ziva David ended up being placed on our team as a Mossad liaison and between her and the new Director, it’s become impossible to work there. Brad took advantage of my getting shot to get me out of there.”

“With your agreement,” Malia reminded him, and Tony turned away from the ceiling to look at her and smile.

“Yes, with my full agreement. Although if it had been Alaska he was sending me to, it might have been different.” Tony grinned. Then he turned to Steve. “I was stressed so much I’d been pulling on my guide potential heavily. I got slightly grazed by a bullet and was honestly too tired to protest too much when Brad, my doctor, pointed out how close I was to burning out. He got the centre to agree to send me here, rather than keep me in DC.”

“That would have been too close to the source of your stress,” Malia reminded him. “Coming here was a much better proposition, and you’ve proved that by how well you’re recovering.” Malia looked at Steve. “If you’d been here before now I would have made sure you’d never meet Tony. He was too fragile when he got here to be around unbonded sentinels.”

“And now?” Steve asked with a quick glance at Tony.

“Now, Tony is much more stable and well on his way to a complete recovery.” Malia looked at them both and then looked down at her hands. “And he is feeling exactly like a bonded guide.”

Complete shock flooded both Tony and Steve. Eyes wide and mouths agape they stared at Malia.

“I’m not online!” Tony blurted out the first thing that came into his head.

“I know, and that’s weirding my senses out,” Malia replied. “I recognise you as both offline and as a bonded guide at the same time. It’s very disconcerting and it’s not how you were when I last saw you.”

“I didn’t know you could bond while being latent,” Tony said carefully.

“Normally you can’t,” Malia admitted.

“And with how much I stressed my potential I shouldn’t be able to achieve an online status for months yet,” Tony remarked. “Or so the centre and every doctor I’ve spoken to since I got here has assured me.”

“That’s true too,” Malia agreed.

“You’re not saying this is my fault?!” Steve exclaimed.

Malia shook her head. “No. It’s none of your faults.” She leant against her desk. “This is why I asked if you’d touched, and you both said you hadn’t.” she took a deep breath. “Steve, does Tony feel like a guide to you?”

“Yes, he feels like a latent guide,” Steve paused, frowning. “I can sense the ill-health I felt earlier, and …” Steve paused again, and Tony felt the sweep of a sentinel scan. “There’s a bond there but it’s not connected right. And it feels like me.”

Tony’s eyebrow rose. “I need to…” He pulled on his potential and was shocked to find it no longer confined to its normal small place in his mind, but spread wide behind his shields. Shields he’d been powering from his potential for the last eighteen months, but not anymore. Malia and the doctors here had told him that until he could stop using his potential for his shields he would always be in a state of stress. His recovery plan had made that the last step because they knew he would never drop the shields until everything else was as healthy as it could be.

Now though, his shields were standing free and stable. He could sense a sentinel cosied up against his shields and didn’t doubt that it was Steve, but there was no connection.

“I’m still latent and I have shields that aren’t linked to my potential,” he pronounced looking at Malia. “How is this possible?” He looked at Steve. “And yes I can feel you, it’s like you’re leaning on my shields but without any pressure.”

“Have you heard of the synchronous bond?” Malia asked and received two puzzled looks in reply. She sighed. “It’s rather rare and not detectable before the event. Congratulations you two, that’s what you have.”

Steve and Tony looked at each other. Tony groaned. “But I’m latent.”

“What is a synchronous bond?” Steve asked.

“Bonds begin when a compatible sentinel and guide meet,” Malia began. “The immediacy to need to bond and the release of pheromones are common to virtually every pair. Except synchronous pairs. It’s theorised that they don’t need to release pheromones or feel the need to bond because they are so in tune with each other the bond simply forms with first contact.”

“We haven’t touched,” Steve pointed out.

“Yet,” Tony mumbled, and Steve frowned at him. Tony straightened up. “I see where Malia is going with this. We’ve started the bond but it hasn’t completed because of my latent and stressed condition. If we’d met and touched when I hadn’t stressed, I bet the bond would have brought me online at the same time.”

“There’s no proof that it would have happened, but I think it more than likely. I don’t believe it would cause the problems that delaying and denying a bond does to sentinels and guides. Being latent is a natural state for a guide; it would simply change from latent to online as part of the bond, much like the creation of the shared shields in a bonded pair,” Malia spoke softly.

“Like my shields no longer pulling on my potential. The bond has started to change me,” Tony surmised and slumped into his chair.

“You don’t sound too happy about this,” Steve noted carefully.

“And did you plan to bond with a guide when you went fishing earlier?” Tony looked up with an irritated expression. “I know I certainly wasn’t looking for a sentinel when I got up today.”

“You know I wasn’t! I didn’t even know you were on the beach!”

“Which is rather telling for a sentinel of your level, Steve,” Malia interrupted them. “And you’ve been at an heightened level for so long that even a day here would not have brought your senses all the way back to a normal level.”  She looked from one to the other. “Now I suggest we get some dinner and begin to consider where you go from here. Do you think you could separate enough to go and change before returning here?”

There was a long moment of silence and then Tony looked at Steve and met his dismayed eyes.

“No,” they both groaned.

 

* * *

 

 

In the end they went together. Tony waited outside Steve’s cabin while Steve changed, and Steve did the same when they got to Tony’s cabin. Casual long pants, a polo shirt and a light weight pullover carried against the slight chill of evening made Tony feel comfortable while Steve merely exchanged board shorts for cargo pants and a black t-shirt.

The silence between them was comfortable despite the circumstances they found themselves in. Tony pretended not to see the appraising looks Steve gave him every now and again, and he didn’t want to admit it, but he was pleased the sentinel found him attractive. He took every opportunity to steal his own appreciative looks at Steve.

Malia was waiting for them near the main buildings. She was putting her phone in her pocket as they approached.

“I’ve organised to have our meals brought to my office,” she told them. “I know Tony isn’t quite ready to be around too many other people yet, and given the circumstances I think you’ll both feel more comfortable there.”

Steve nodded and grimaced. “It was alright until you told us we had a bond. Now I want to keep him close.”

“Probably because the bond hasn’t been completed,” Tony said before Malia could. “Before it didn’t matter if I couldn’t see him as long as I knew where he was. Now I feel like we need to stay within sight of each other.”

Steve nodded. “Yes, when you went inside to change, it was … hard not to follow. I had to dial up my senses to keep track of you.”

“It will settle once the bond is complete,” Malia said as she led them back to her office where a table had been set with places for three.

“Should we hurry it along?” Steve asked as he took his seat and helped himself to the food spread there.

“No,” Malia shook her head. “It won’t happen until Tony comes online and that won’t happen until his potential is completely unstressed.”

Tony filled his plate. “That will probably not be as long as it was originally thought,” he said with a sigh. “The longer I’m near Steve, the less stress I’m aware of.”

“Which is also why I rang Chin and told him you’d be here for a week, Steve,” Malia informed him.

Steve frowned. “I can’t be away for a week!” he protested.

“You might be away for longer, Steve,” Malia told him. “Tony can’t leave here, and you wouldn’t leave without him, so you’ll stay here.”

Steve grumbled but acknowledged the truth of her words. “What did Chin say?”

“He said that he was certain that things would no doubt be very quiet while you were gone and that they would manage without you, and they would appreciate you all the more when you returned.”

“He was being sarcastic, wasn’t he?” Steve groused.

“Just a bit, yes,” Malia smiled.

Steve turned to Tony. “Chin is Malia’s sentinel and on my team. He’s very Zen for a sentinel.”

“He’s always been like that,” Malia said. “And he needs it to work with Steve and Danny,” she added with a sly grin. She looked at Tony. “Danny’s from New Jersey originally, a cop like you.”

“Steve mentioned him earlier,” Tony murmured.

“Danny’s as loud as Chin is quiet,” Steve remarked.

“He’s the most un-guide-like guide I’ve ever met,” Malia agreed. “But he’s very solid to the senses.”

“He’s online?” Tony asked.

“Yes, he’s bonded to his daughter,” Steve replied. “He hasn’t told me what happened, but he came online while Grace was being born.”

“Parental guide bonds like his are rare. It’s not surprising that he doesn’t talk about how it happened. There would have been severe emotional trauma and physical pain as well. His wife would have been unable to complete a bond which meant he fixed onto his child.”

“Ex-wife now. Rachel’s normal. I met her on a case a few months back. They divorced when Grace was about three, and when she re-married, the new husband moved them here.” Steve pushed his plate away.

“And Danny had no option but to follow because of the bond,” Tony finished.

“Yes. If it wasn’t for the centre, he wouldn’t even have joint custody. Rachel resents Danny’s status, and the bond he has with Grace too,” Steve said.

“So if I join your team there’d be two guides and two sentinels?” Tony half asked.

“There’s Kono as well, Chin’s cousin. She’s a latent sentinel.” Steve studied Tony. “You’d join the team?”

“Staying with NCIS would mean I’d need to get transferred to Pearl, and I honestly doubt that would happen. Pearl is one of those postings that everyone wants. That said, DC wouldn’t suit you so it’s a given that I’ll have to move here, and much as I wouldn’t mind doing a Magnum, I think we’ll need to work together.” Tony met Steve’s look without flinching.

“It’s a shame you’re not with Homeland,” Steve groused. “We could have swapped Lori for you.”

Tony frowned. “Who’s Lori?”

“Lori Weston,” Steve groaned. “The governor insisted we accept her. She’s a Homeland profiler who’s basically our babysitter for the governor.”

Tony was struck by the similarity between this Weston person and David’s inclusion on the MCRT.  “Babysitter or informer?” he asked carefully.

“Exactly.” Steve gave a wry grin before sighing. “She’s also a mid to low level guide who - according to Danny - has her sights on becoming my guide.”

“That’s what Chin thinks too,” Malia added. “He mentioned her when we spoke earlier. She was not happy to hear that you’d gone away for the weekend, Steve. Apparently she wasn’t very discreet about it.”

“Danny thinks she’s stupid because she has a seagull for a spirit guide,” Steve noted and Tony laughed.

“Yeah, I’d agree with that.” Tony grinned.

“Seagulls are known to be very intelligent. You know there’s no proof that spirit animals are indicative of intelligence, don’t you?” Malia asked the two.

“Not for intelligence perhaps.” Tony grinned wider. “And seagulls may be intelligent, but that doesn’t mean the guide is.”

“Danno said the gull was probably smarter than Lori,” Steve said as he laughed.

“I see that you’ll get along with Danny just fine,” Malia told Tony.

“I have a standing offer from Homeland,” Tony mused. “Tom Morrow was the director at NCIS before he took up the Deputy Director position at Homeland.”

“Really?” Steve leant forward and bit his lip. “Tony, you … here… It’s your decision.”

“But you’d prefer it,” Tony stated bluntly.

“I’d like to think I could say that I’d follow you to DC but you’re right, it wouldn’t suit me and we both know I’d be lying if I said it did. But whatever you decide to stay here and do, I want it to be what you want to do. NCIS or Homeland, or even a PI. Your choice.”

 

* * *

 

Tony stared out to the darkening water of the Pacific. The sun was setting and twilight was painting the world in purple mauve shadows. The gentle wind was laden with salt, and he had slipped on his lightweight sweater against its chill.

He knew Steve was standing a few feet away, still and silent. The sentinel’s shields were pressed against his with a warmth he could almost feel. It had been a long time since Tony had felt such contentment, and he smiled.

He’d already put his life on hold to treat his stressed condition. He’d known it would take months and that he wouldn’t be able to make any decisions about his future until he was fully healed. He had known that there had been a slight chance of not returning to NCIS. Brad was keeping him up to date and the Centre was making many changes in NCIS and several other naval offices. If he did return there’d be new systems and most likely a new team. He couldn’t work in that office as an online guide, he knew that. And he had little capital to be given a place at Pearl.

To stay here though, with his sentinel. With a team that already sounded better than the one he had left behind. Staying in Hawaii was no longer a question. He didn’t even know why he was still even thinking of returning to DC, except that his loyalty had been to Gibbs and it was hard to realise that perhaps Gibbs wasn’t worth his loyalty as much as he had been. The whole Haswari affair had broken something between them, and having Ziva David on the team had made it impossible to recover.

Here he would stay, and stay with Steve. There was no hurry to make any more decisions.

He tilted his head and looked at Steve. “You’re going to watch a lot of movies.”

“I’ll teach you to surf,” Steve replied.

Tony’s lips curved. He remembered how Steve had looked earlier as he had come out of the ocean. He wasn’t averse to being taught by his ridiculously handsome sentinel. His sentinel.

Tony hadn’t given his guide status much thought. Being latent had made little impact on his life. But now he had a sentinel cosied up against his shields and he could almost feel the stress leaching out of him. It was disconcerting to feel that after the slow pace of the last two months, and strangely appealing to his impatient side, that welcomed anything that would shorten his recovery.

Steve’s head whipped around and suddenly he was standing in front of Tony. Tony looked around, confused as he sensed the alertness Steve was projecting.

“What is it?” he asked as he couldn’t see anything that presented a threat.

Steve’s head tilted to one side and he turned towards the offices. He stayed in front of Tony as several people appeared. Tony now heard raised voices and shifted slightly to be able to see past Steve.

A blonde woman was pushing past Malia and another man, while a short blond man followed. Tony could almost feel conflicting emotions heading towards him.

“Steve!” the blonde woman called. “They said you were stressed! You shouldn’t have left, I can help you!”

“Lori Weston?” Tony asked Steve in a voice just above a whisper as he watched the woman. She bounced almost like an eager puppy, and her greedy eagerness made him shudder. It felt like a nasty slime against his shields.

“Yep.” Steve growled as Lori neared them.

“Stop right there, Lori,” Steve demanded, but the woman ignored him and took another step.

The tiger that suddenly appeared was large and growling fiercely at the blonde guide. Lori stumbled back in shock as people shouted behind her. Long teeth snapped as the animal snarled.

“Cats like to eat birds,” the short blond man standing near Malia said slowly. “Perhaps you should move away from the tiger, Lori.”

Tony looked at the man. He was a guide, Steve’s partner Danny, if the impression he was getting from the scene was correct. Which made the other man Malia’s sentinel, Chin.

The tiger growled again, long tail lashing as it kept his golden eyes fixed on Lori. The squawking of the seagull that appeared and hovered in front of Lori didn’t distract it at all.

“Why are you doing this, Steve? Sentinels don’t attack their guides,” Lori called loudly.

“He’s not your guide,” came from Malia and Danny.

“I am not your sentinel, “Steve growled with his tiger.

“He certainly isn’t,” Tony said as moved to stand beside Steve.

“What?!” Lori exclaimed. “I am too!”

“Chasing after a sentinel that isn’t theirs is almost the worst thing a guide can do,” Tony remarked casually as he focused on the pushy guide. “Although I don’t know how you could possibly believe Steve is your sentinel when you are barely a midlevel guide. I’m thinking you’re rather delusional, or have aspirations far above your abilities.”

“Who are you?” Lori demanded furiously.

“What is the worst thing a guide can do?” Danny asked at the same time.

“Thinking they’re as smart as their spirit animal,” Tony replied flippantly. “And I’m Steve’s guide,” he added as Danny started laughing.

“I think you should go back to the office and start packing,” Steve said carefully. “I can’t work with you and the rest of the team doesn’t deserve to have to put up with you any longer.”

Lori glared angrily at them. “You’re not his guide! You’re not even online!” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. “I am not leaving the team. The governor will hear about this!”

“He certainly will,” Tony agreed, his eyes never leaving Lori as he held out his hand to Steve. There was no pause as Steve gripped Tony’s hand.

The bond was there. Instantaneously, in the space between heartbeats it existed, complete and settled deep in their souls. Shields split and reformed with a breath. It was as if they’d always been joined. Tony _knew_ Steve, his shields wrapped Tony close as Tony went online with his next breath, and they blinked as one.

A second tiger appeared before them.

Strong, implacable, like a tsunami their senses swept over their immediate surrounds.  Both tigers roared and stalked closer to Lori who fell back as her knees gave way.

“You stink of greed,” Steve said distantly. “And I won’t have you anywhere near my guide.”

“The governor…” Lori began to protest, trying hard to conceal her fear. The tigers circled her, both taller than she was now she was on the ground.

“You bonded!” Malia exclaimed disapprovingly, approaching them carefully.

“Sorry?” Steve rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand. “I didn’t mean to.”

Malia looked at Tony who gave a small shrug.

“I was going to ask for his phone, not to bond.” Tony offered up his excuse as he looked from their linked hands, and then at his tiger.

“Phone?” Steve repeated blankly.

“Yes, to ring Tom Morrow, who would’ve rung the governor,” Tony replied, pointing at Lori. “You know, to let him know about his ex-informant.”

“I am not an informant!” Lori protested as she struggled to her feet. The tigers growled and continued to circle her.

“You can use my phone,” Danny offered as he tossed his phone over. Tony caught it and studied the blond man.

There was a depth to Danny that Tony had never felt in any Guide before, and he didn’t think it was simply because of his new online state. Danny reeked of total dependability and strength that was incredibly reassuring.

“Who’s Tom Morrow?” Danny asked as Tony began dialling.

“Deputy Director at Homeland,” Steve replied, and smiled harshly when Lori paled.

* * *

 

Four hours later found Tony standing on the beach again, staring out at the waves that shimmered with moonlight. This time Steve had his arms wrapped around him as Tony soaked up the warmth from the solid chest behind him.

Two tigers lay sprawled at their feet, stretched out in relaxed contentment.

“I feel like we’ve been bonded for years, not hours,” Steve murmured, his chin resting on Tony’s shoulder.

“Feeling cheated of a bonding rut?” Tony queried with a laugh, and Steve groaned.

“I can’t believe Danno said that!”

Malia’s explanation to Chin and Danny of what a synchronous bond entailed had caused Steve more than a few blushes, as Danny had teased him mercilessly and insisted on regaling Tony with nearly every embarrassing Steve story he had.

It had been that interaction which had decided Tony and he had accepted Tom Morrow’s offer to transfer to Homeland, and be assigned to the 5-0 task force once his convalescence was complete.

His stress levels had dropped dramatically with the bonding, but Malia and Brad had agreed in a short phone conference that Tony still needed a couple of months to be completely healthy. They’d all agreed he’d be on light duties when he started in a month’s time. Tony couldn’t persuade them to let him return to work any earlier. He’d only agreed when they had allowed him one visit back to DC in three weeks.

Tony held up his arm. His mark was a fully formed tiger now. Steve placed his arm beside Tony’s. Two tigers. Two identical tigers.

Tony and Steve both shivered as the tigers shifted on the sand and melted into each other. Their tattoos flared with a sudden stinging heat and Steve held Tony tighter. Their eyes widened and they stared in disbelief as colour washed through their marks. A lingering ache could be felt as they ran fingers over their marks.

“Full bond,” Steve observed.

“Non-standard issue,” Tony remarked, and Steve snorted.

“Feeling cheated?” Tony asked, aware of the discontent in his sentinel.

“Maybe,” Steve deflected.

Tony dropped his head back onto Steve, the long line of his neck catching the sentinel’s focus. Tony heard and felt his sentinel’s rumbling. He smirked as he figured out the emotions he was getting from Steve.

“Damned SEAL of a sentinel,” he muttered before suddenly shifting his weight and slipping away from Steve.

Steve stumbled as Tony moved. He quickly found his guide several steps away on the wet sand by the water. A grin was visible and green eyes almost glowed in the night.

“Come on sentinel, time to catch the guide,” Tony said with a teasing wave, before he turned and began running.

Steve noticed that Tony couldn’t run fast, knew his guide was still recovering his fitness, and knew this was a token gesture to his sentinel side. He knew all that but he chased Tony down within seconds, dragging his guide into the water.

Coughing and spluttering Tony surfaced to find himself securely held in Steve’s arms. He barely had time to realise they were sitting in the shallows before Steve was kissing him, salt wet and deep. Tony wrapped himself around Steve, kissing back with intent.

It was wet and messy and Tony had to keep breaking back to breathe before diving right back into Steve’s mouth. They spent forever kissing as their bond shivered between them.

It was only when a wave broke over them that the kiss ended.

Tony laughed before they both struggled to their feet. Their clothing soaked and heavy made it difficult as they stumbled out of the water. Tony pulled his sweater off and shook his head, water flying. He looked at Steve with a wicked smirk.

“No-one ever kissed me the way you do,” he quoted.

Steve blinked, and then his eyes narrowed.

“Wrong beach,” he said with a lunge. He picked up his soaking wet guide and slung him over his shoulder. Tony was laughing so hard he could barely speak and Steve began walking to his cabin.

He slammed the door behind them and dropped Tony onto his bed.

“I’ll kiss you at Halcona Cove if you wear the halter neck swimsuit,” Steve told him before joining him on the bed.

Tony’s laughter quickly disappeared as Steve kissed him again.

 

* * *

 

Two tigers shimmered in the moonlight and padded silently along the beach. They prowled around the cabin before settling down in front of the closed door, curling up around each other with contented rumblings, and easing into watchful sleep.

  _Fin_

* * *

* * *

 

 

 


End file.
